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Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
Selangor parking plan to involve local councils, state and private firms
A 10-year concession on Selangor's 'smart parking system' involving four local councils is expected to be signed on Aug 1. (File pic) PETALING JAYA : Local councils and a state-owned company, together with a private firm, are reportedly involved in a revised plan for parking fee collections in four cities in Selangor. State executive councillor Ng Suee Lim said an agreement for a 10-year concession was still being finalised and would only be signed on Aug 1. The concession for the 'smart parking system' would cover collections of parking fees and enforcement in Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Selayang. Ng Suee Lim. It will now involve the local councils, state-owned Rantaian Mesra Sdn Bhd and a private company. Last week, Ng was quoted by Bernama as saying that Rantaian Mesra was appointed as the concessionaire, with revenue collected to be split between the company and state government. However, he said today Rantaian Mesra was not among the 26 companies that responded to a request for proposal, The Edge reported. Ng said enforcement would still be carried out by local council officers under this plan, while Rantaian Mesra will act as a system coordinator. The private company, which has yet to be appointed, will then handle the daily parking operations of the four local councils, he added. He said Rantaian Mesra and the other company are expected to invest around RM200 million to develop the infrastructure for the smart parking system. 'The details covering technical, financial, enforcement and governance aspects among the three parties are being finalised, after which the agreement is expected to be signed on Aug 1. 'We are trying to complete the improvements before Aug 1, but if we need more time, we will ask for an extension from the state executive council,' he was quoted as saying. Ng said the aim of this initiative is to double the amount of parking fees collected, from the current 30% to at least 60%. The local councils are expected to record higher revenue without taking on higher operational costs, he said. Revenue collected would be shared between the local councils, Rantaian Mesra and the private company; however, he did not reveal a breakdown of the shared revenue. Under the previous plan, which involved only Rantaian Mesra, Ng said there would be a 50:50 share, of which 40% would go to the councils and 10% to Menteri Besar Incorporated, the investment arm of the state government. The plan was opposed by several quarters including Selayang MP William Leong, who voiced concern over enforcement powers being privatised and turned into a source of income for a private company. It later came to light that Rantaian Mesra was wholly owned by Selangor MBI after netizens checked on the company's ownership on the Companies Commission of Malaysia's database.
Zawya
11-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Tunisia: Cabinet meeting reviews progress of 2026–2030 Development Plan
Tunis – The progress of the preparation of Tunisia's 2026–2030 Development Plan took centre stage at a Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, chaired by Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri. The meeting laid emphasis on the finalisation of reports regarding the projects proposed by local councils, according to a Prime Ministry press release. The development plan is being drafted through a gradual and participatory process, incorporating a synthesis of proposals submitted at the local, regional, and district levels, the same source specifies. The Cabinet reviewed the preparation process for the new plan, which had included the organisation of five regional meetings across all districts, 3,317 working sessions conducted by 279 local councils, 154 meetings by 24 regional councils, and 12 district council meetings, which had led to the proposal of 35,435 projects, 90.6% of which are locally focused initiatives. The Prime Minister underlined on the occasion, the importance of collective regional efforts to ensure the success of this experience, which is based on a new progressive planning methodology adopted for the first time in Tunisia. Zaafrani Zenzri reiterated that the development plan for 2026–2030 aims to involve all citizens in identifying their regions' priorities, in an effort to overcome the legacy of previous policies characterised by centralised decision-making. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Cabinet recommended that the next phase include the formulation of the economic budget and the draft Finance Bill for 2026, based on proposals emerging from local, regional, and district development plans. © Tap 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Open up places with air-con to help in heatwave, say Lib Dems
Air-conditioned buildings such as gyms, leisure centres and libraries should be opened up to the public during heatwaves, the Liberal Democrats have party is calling for the government to support turning spaces in these buildings into "cool hubs" to provide vulnerable people with respite from the heat health alerts have been issued until 15 July for central, southern and eastern parts of England by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).Temperatures are expected to hit 34C (93F) in parts of the UK this weekend, as the country heads into the third heatwave of the summer. The party says these would be the hot weather version of warm hubs, which were launched in autumn 2022 to provide people with a warm place to go amid high energy prices when some were worried about putting on the hubs would be run in partnership with local councils and national government in public facilities like community centres. They wouldn't necessarily be in council owned areas already run cool space schemes during warm months. London and Manchester both have networks of community cool spaces to escape the the UK, Paris operates a network of "cool islands" during summer months where people can find cool places like museums, swimming pools and public parks via an app. Various US states also operate cooling centres. An estimated 2,295 deaths were associated with heat in summer 2023 in the UK, according to figures from the spring has been the warmest and sunniest on record in the UK. A recent Met Office study said the chances of somewhere in the UK recording a temperature exceeding 40°C in the next 12 years is accelerating rapidly. Liberal Democrat energy spokesperson Pippa Heylings called heat-related deaths "avoidable" and said cool hubs were a "common sense idea" that could "provide a refuge for vulnerable people to get away from this stifling, sweltering heat".The party is also calling for the government to provide free insulation and heat pumps to low income households, to help keep homes cool in the summer and warm in the UK has some of the least energy-efficient homes in Europe.A government spokesperson said they would urge people to take extra care in the hot weather, and building regulations were in place to reduce the risk of new homes overheating."Housing tenants can speak to their council if excess heat means that their property is in a dangerous condition," they added.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wales tourist tax set to be introduced
Holidaymakers staying overnight in certain parts of Wales may have to pay a new 'tourist tax' in the future. The new law, agreed in a vote by the Welsh Parliament, could see up to £1.30 per person per night added to their stay. Officials say the additional money could raise as much as £33 million a year to support and improve tourist some businesses worry that the charge could put some visitors off coming to the country. How would the Wales tourist tax work? The Welsh Parliament, or Senedd Cymru, voted on Tuesday to give local councils the right to decide whether to bring in the fee, which would be introduced in 2027 at the of the 22 main councils in Wales will decide whether they want to introduce the tax in their the plans, people staying in hostels and campsites would pay 75p per person per night, while those in all other accommodation - such as hotels and holiday homes - would pay the higher under 18 staying at hostels and campsites would not pay an extra far, a number of councils across the country - including Cardiff, Anglesey and Gwynedd - have shown interest in the others, such as the Vale of Glamorgan, Newport and Wrexham, said they have ruled it out. Welsh tourist tax: What has the response been? Tourism taxes are not a new idea - many places around the world charges fees for visitors, including Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Japan and many of the Caribbean finance secretary, Mark Drakeford, says the introduction of these types of taxes is a good idea for the country. "We believe it is reasonable for visitors to contribute towards infrastructure and services integral to their experience, as they do in so many other parts of the world," Mr Drakeford added that it was the first local tax for more than 500 years to have been designed in Wales. However, not everyone agrees with Mr Welsh Conservatives have promised to scrap the plans before they come into force, should they form a government after next year's Senedd Rowlands MS, from the party, said the levy would impact jobs and the economy by the Welsh government's "own admission"."We believe it is bad for Wales and bad for the Welsh tourism sector which forms such an important part of the Welsh economy," Mr Rowlands Welsh Tourism Alliance have also expressed concerns with the worry that the way the bill had been drafted means that councils will not need to focus on tourism when they decide how to spend the additional money they earn from the tax.
Auto Express
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
UK EV charger boom is leaving disabled drivers behind
The number of on-street chargers has leapt up by 27 per cent in the last year, however, only a third of councils have installed ones that conform to important accessibility guidelines, once again leaving disabled drivers out of the loop. A Freedom of Information request submitted by Vauxhall as part of its Electric Streets campaign found that as many as 38 per cent of local councils across the UK do not offer on-street EV chargepoints that conform with the PAS 1899:2022 accessibility standards. Advertisement - Article continues below It's also worth pointing out that, while the above may sound sensationalist – after all, 62 per cent of councils do technically offer accessible charging – only 2.2 per cent of all the UK's public chargers adhere to PAS guidelines, meaning there'll be very few accessible ones in each area PAS 1899:2022, while not enshrined in law, essentially asks chargepoint operators (CPOs) to ensure their devices are placed at a height appropriate for wheelchair users, are not too heavy to manipulate and are in an accessible area with plenty of space to manoeuvre, say, a mobility scooter. Graham Footer, chief executive of Disabled Motoring UK, said that the findings are 'unsurprising', and that the campaign group is "deeply concerned by the almost complete lack of PAS-compliant public charging infrastructure'. Footer explained that 40 per cent of disabled drivers the charity surveyed did not live in accommodation suited to home EV charger installation, meaning they would have to rely on public infrastructure – something that would not be compatible with many of their physical needs. 'The government's promise was that no one would be left behind in the transition to green energy, but it is completely obvious that disabled motorists are indeed being left behind in the transition to EVs,' Footer said, urging No 10 to 'act now and address this failure before it's too late'. Auto Express has approached the government's Disability Unit for comment, but is yet to receive a response. In the meantime, this data comes only months after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published its report into the UK's EV charger rollout, which concluded that the current situation is in danger of creating 'inequalities in the cost of driving'. The government is also yet to publish the results of its review into PAS 1899:2022, despite it now being around two-and-a-half years after its initial introduction. Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express ? We'll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too .
